Protectors
by MinnieBSB
Summary: Established Benstone. Inspired by the song Concrete Angel. A new girl in Noah's class is in serious trouble.
1. Chapter 1

_Hello my lovely peeps! I was listening to the song Concrete Angel a few weeks ago while working on a previous story idea, and I just kind of combined those ideas into one. This chapter is pretty short and mostly plain, but I promise that this is just the beginning. Have a great day!_

_I do not own Law and Order SVU or the characters. _

It was dismissal time at Noah's school and for once, both Olivia and Peter managed to get the afternoon off. It was a beautiful day, for winter that is, and their plan was to head to the park, play catch, get some pizza, and go home. It was the beginning of a peaceful weekend, which Olivia desperately needed.

The scene was the same as everyday. Children flooded the courtyard, searching for their parent or guardian while the teachers attempted to keep everything nice and orderly. Parents stood in small groups, chatting while they waited for their child to make it through the crowd. It wasn't the best set up, but it certainly the worst that Olivia had seen.

"Mom!" Noah called, running into her arms. "Hi my sweet boy!" She hugged him tightly, spotting a new face over his shoulder. She looked like a deer caught in headlights. Olivia expected her to meet up with an adult after weaving through students, but instead she got herself through to the sidewalk.

"Hey Noah, who is that girl?" Olivia asked, watching as she crossed the street by herself.

"That's Nora. She's in my class. She only started last week. I've never actually heard her talk" Noah rattled off. "Nobody plays with her at recess. I tried to but she just kinda stared at me".

Olivia nodded, keeping her eye on the girl. It seemed as though walking alone was normal for her, and that alone was a red flag. "Do you know Nora's last name?"

"Thomas. No! No, it's Thompson".

"Did something happen to her dress today?" Olivia pressed, noticing the tears along the hem.

"No, she wore that same dress yesterday, and the day before". So far, she walks herself home, wears the same dress for multiple days, and wasn't wearing a coat, despite the fact that it was winter. It was a decently warm day for winter, but still. Nora's hair was dirty and knotted, and it looked like she had cut her hair herself. It hurt Olivia's heart to think that anyone could leave their kid in this state. Olivia had seen it hundreds of times, but she never anticipated it be one of Noah's classmates. She should follow her, right?

"Hey guys!" Peter called as he crossed the street to get to his girlfriend and best buddy. "You guys ready for some catch?"

"Yeah!" Noah cheered, squealing when Peter hoisted him up on his shoulders.

"Actually, can I meet you guys there in a bit? There's this thing that I have to do quickly and it'd be more convenient to do it now…" She lied, still keeping her eyes on the child. Peter noticed that something was off, but decided to leave it be for now. He knew when Olivia was focused on something, there was no point in trying to shift her attention.

"Sure. Be careful".

He kissed her on the cheek, rolling his eyes when she didn't even respond. "Let's go Noah".

Olivia began to speed walk after the girl, trying not to draw too much attention by running. The little girl dove into an alley and Olivia's stomach lurched.

_Screw it_. She thought, picking up the pace to catch up with the girl. As she rounded the corner she saw the child trying to open a door, but it was locked. Trying not to scare her, she slowed down and unclipped her badge.

"Hi sweetie. I'm a police officer. Can you tell me your name?" She ask she crouched down and let the girl hold her badge.

"Mommy told me not to talk to the police" She said as she handed the badge back. Olivia finally noticed the dark purple bruise on the girl's arm. It didn't look like an accident. "I have to get home".

"It's ok, I'm also your friend Noah's mommy. Do you walk by yourself everyday?"

Nora did just as Noah had said, staring into her eyes without saying a word.

"I have to go".

Olivia wanted to follow her, but there was something in the girls eyes that begged her to leave. Despite what every fiber of her being wanted to do, she turned around and walked away.

This was far from over.

* * *

"Nice of you to join us" Peter teased, wrapping his arms around her as she sat down next to him on the bench. "Did you handle your thing?"

She nodded. She wanted to get his opinion on this, just not in front of Noah. "We'll talk about it later". The park was particularly busy that day, which made sense since it was the warmest day in weeks. Noah was playing on the jungle gym with a friend from school while she and Peter sat on the bench watching intently. The boys had planned on playing catch, but once Noah saw Ryan, that was thrown out the window.

Peter rubbed her shoulder, and for a moment she found herself wondering how all of this was fair. Here she was, having a peaceful afternoon with her boyfriend and son, while who knows what was happening to that little girl.

"Actually it can't wait" She said after a moment. Noah was far enough away that he wouldn't be able to hear them anyway. "There's this girl in Noah's class...I think she's being abused".

Peter's hand stilled. "Who?"

"Her name is Nora, she's new. He told me that she's being wearing the same dress for three days and she's walking herself home".

"Maybe she's just clinging onto that dress because it makes her feel comfortable in a new place?" He theorized.

Olivia pondered it for a moment. "I mean, maybe, but she also has this huge bruise on her arm and when I tried to talk to her-"

"You already tried to talk to her?"

Olivia nodded. "I couldn't help myself. She said that her mom told her not to talk to the cops".

The look on Peter's face told her that he was thinking the same thing as her, which was a blessing and a curse. He shook his head at the thought.

He fully supported her, and wanted to do everything in his power to help this girl."Where do we go from here?"


	2. Chapter 2

Olivia poured each of them a glass of wine after taking twenty minutes to find the corkscrew in the stack of boxes labeled kitchen. Moving day was only a week away, and the thought alone was overwhelming. This whole thing was new to Olivia. Had she moved in with a boyfriend before? Yes, but not since she had adopted Noah. That, and they were moving into his late father's brownstone. She had lived in an apartment her whole life. Living in a house was a whole new experience, and even though she was excited, she was equally nervous.

They were taking a break from packing for a few minutes, mostly because Olivia was struggling to focus on the task at hand. Her thoughts kept wandering back to Noah's classmate Nora.

"Something is definitely off" Olivia started out of the blue. Peter came up behind her and started to rub her back, trying to help her relax. "The dress, walking by herself, told not to talk to the cops, the bruise! It's all the classic signs of child abuse".

"I know, I know. What are we supposed to do about it? We don't have enough to do anything" He said before taking a sip.

"This is only the first week at this school. The parents aren't even trying to hide it! Imagine what she's going to look like in a few more weeks". Olivia downed the rest of her glass. "You're going to think I'm crazy" She warned.

"Liv I would never think you're crazy" Peter promised.

"I'm going to go over there tomorrow. I'll say that Noah wound up with her homework or something. I need to talk to the parents".

Peter just looked at her for a moment. "You know what? That is a little bit crazy".

Olivia sighed. "I know, I just don't know what else to do".

"You're not going to like this, but I think it's better if we give it a few more days, observe, then strike".

Olivia ran her hand through her hair, pushing back and out of her face. " I just don't want to wait until it's too late".

"But we can't make things worse for her either..Alright, break is over. We have to get back to packing".

* * *

It was Monday morning and Olivia was helping Noah get ready for school while Peter packed everybody's lunches. The kitchen was looking sparse and the walls of the living room were bare, but the towers of boxes were bigger. Things were moving along well, but functioning in a mostly packed up apartment was difficult.

"Can I have some extra food for lunch? I want Nora to be able to eat too" Noah explained as he pulled on his sneakers.

"Nora doesn't eat lunch?" Peter tried to ask casually. They hadn't asked Noah anymore questions about Nora since Friday night, but if Noah was volunteering the information…

Noah shook his head. "She sits at the same table as me. She brings a lunchbox to school everyday, but it's empty".

Olivia gave Peter a look, and he knew what she was saying.

"Two ham and cheese sandwiches it is".

* * *

Olivia walked Noah to school, holding his hand a little tighter than usual. "Mommy, you're hurting me" Noah whined, trying to pull away from her.

"I'm so sorry my sweet boy" She apologized as she loosened her grip. "My mind is elsewhere". They were coming up to the main entrance when she spotted Nora, wearing the exact same dress, still no coat, but with a huge new bruise on her leg.

"Ok, bye mommy! Have a good day" Noah said, expecting that she was going to let him walk himself to class as usual.

"Actually baby, I need to talk to your teacher, so I'll walk you in".

Once they reached his classroom, Noah let go of her hand to put his things in his cubby. His teacher turned to her with a smile. "Good morning Lieutenant Benson, is everything alright?"

"I actually need to ask you a favor" She whispered, trying not to draw the attention of Nora. "I'm concerned about one of your students".

* * *

"If Reynolds doesn't testify this whole case is shot" Peter groaned as he paced Olivia's office. "The defense is going to move to dismiss the charges if we can't get him on board. He's the only living victim and there's not enough evidence to get Schaffer for the murders and-" He stopped when he realized that Olivia was frantically typing on her computer, not listening to a word he was saying. "I really hope what you're working on is more important than this case".

She looked up at him over her laptop with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry, but I asked a friend for a favor and found out some interesting information about Nora's parents".

"Liv, we're at work. We're supposed to be doing our jobs".

Olivia closed her laptop and stood up, rounding her desk so that they were standing a foot apart. "I know that, but I'm having a hard time focusing when I know a child is out there suffering. Can I please tell you what I found out and then I'll drop it for now?"

He couldn't be mad at her. Her compassion was what he loved about her, even though sometimes it was her biggest flaw. "Tell me".

"Well the dad, Nicholas Thompson died in August and since then her mom, Belinda Thompson has been arrested for possession of a controlled substance, but she only didn't serve any time".

"So it's likely that the mom has a drug problem and without the father being around…"

"Exactly" Olivia nodded. "It's not much but we have a start. Noah's teacher contacted the guidance counselor and hopefully that will get the ball rolling".

* * *

She kept her promise, giving all of her attention to the case for the rest of the work day, but now that work was over (for her at least) and she was going to pick up Noah from school she could focus on Nora. Olivia stood in the courtyard, waiting for Noah to make his way over to her.

"Hey sweet boy!" She said as he hugged her legs. "How was school?"

"It was really good! I learned how to spell the word easy and each and eleven".

Olivia smiled, happy that he had a good day. "That's fantastic. How was lunch?" She asked, hoping that he gave Nora the extra food.

"Oh it was fine. I gave Nora the sandwich. She didn't say anything, but she did eat it. I did talk to her at recess though".

"You did?"

Noah nodded. "I asked her why she wears that dress everyday and she said it's the only one she has. Then I asked her why and she said that none of her clothes fit anymore and her mom can't buy her more. Oh, there she is!" Noah said, pointing to the sidewalk right outside the courtyard. "Why does she walk by herself everyday?"

"I don't know. Why don't we go ask her?" She knew that if Peter were here, he'd tell her to drop it for now because Noah shouldn't be involved. But at the same time, maybe she would open up if a kid her age asked the questions. It didn't take them long to catch up to her.

"Hey Nora!" Noah called, making the girl stop in her tracks. "Can we walk you home?" He asked with a big smile. "My mommy says it's not safe to cross the street without an adult". Nora turned to face Olivia.

"I told you, I can't talk to you. I'd get in trouble. '' That was the most that either of them had ever heard her speak.

Olivia crouched down so that they were on the same level. "What do you mean you'll get in trouble?"

She could see the tears forming in the young girl's eyes as she struggled to find the right thing to say.

"I can help you, but you have to tell me what's going on" Olivia reassured, resting her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Does she hurt you?"

Nora nodded as the tears began to fall. "I have to go".


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hello my lovely peeps! Thank you all for reading and I appreciate the support very much. I know this story is a bit cheesy, but at least it's cute? I hope you have a great day!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Law and Order SVU or the characters.**

"And then she ran" Olivia said as she folded her pants and set them in the box. "I would have followed her but I had Noah with me and he was already so confused". Even though she wasn't looking at him, she could feel Peter's eyes on her, watching her every move. "If you have something to say, just say it".

He tossed a pile of her clothing on the middle of the bed, trying to help move things along. Most of his clothing was already packed up. "I'm not trying to tell you how to parent, but I don't think you should have brought Noah into it the way you did today".

She could only nod. "I had a feeling you were going to say that. It's not like I planned it, but I just couldn't stop myself".

"Why? Why couldn't you stop yourself?" He asked, making her look up at him. He wasn't mad, but he was trying to understand her thought process. Of course he was concerned about the girl, but Olivia was making it her personal mission to figure out what was going on and put an end to it.

"Because I know what it's like" She said with a blank expression. "I know what it's like to grow up in a cold, harsh environment. I know what it's like to show up at school with an empty lunchbox, wearing the same few outfits over and over again".

Peter made his way over to her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight. He knew that she had a tough childhood, but she had never opened up about the specifics. All she had ever told him was that it was like her mother physically couldn't love her, and that she was an alcoholic.

"My mom was always too drunk to take care of me. She could barely hold down a job and started drinking as soon as she got home every night. I had to fend for myself while making sure she didn't drink herself to death. So maybe I see a little bit of myself in Nora. Maybe I see the little girl that was so sad, wondering why all the other kids were loved and happy…" She trailed off, trying to compose herself. "I can't imagine what it's like for her. At least my mom didn't start hitting me until middle school".

Peter held her a little tighter, unsure of what he could say to make things better. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that". He said as he rubbed her back. "My dad was a hardass that worked too much, but I never felt unsafe".

"I can't go back and change it, but if I can help that little girl, I'm going to do everything in my power to do so. That being said, do you think you could get Noah from school tomorrow?"

Peter nodded. "Going to try again?"

"Absolutely".

* * *

Olivia watched as Nora crossed the street by herself, shivering as the bitter cold air hit her bare skin. Following close behind, Olivia jogged across the street so she could watch. Nora ducked into the same alley as before, stopping when she made it to the door. What looked to be a red ribbon was tied around the doorknob, which obviously meant something because Nora sat in front of the door. She opened her book bag and took out a book, cracking it open. Olivia rounded the corner, slowly making her way over to the girl as to not scare her. Nora looked up from her book, sighing when she saw Olivia.

"I told you, I can't-"

"I know, I know. But you can't sit out here in the cold either" She said as she shrugged off her jacket and draped it over the girl. "Can you at least tell me why you're sitting out here all by yourself?" She sat down next to her, not caring about the fact that she would be freezing and dirty.

"That ribbon means that my mom has a friend over. I can't come in until they leave" She explained.

"What does she do with her friends?"

Nora shrugged. "She told me that it's adult stuff and I wouldn't like it anyway".

Olivia knew exactly what was going on up there. "Did she do this at your old house?"

Nora nodded. "Ever since Daddy died". Despite Olivia's thick coat, she was still shivering. "I miss Daddy".

"I'm sure you do" Olivia said as she took off her hat and handed it to the girl, smiling when she pulled it on without a complaint. "Was your mom nicer to you before your dad died?"

Nora looked at Olivia for a moment, trying to decide if she should answer. After a beat, she spoke. "A little...Daddy would stop her when she wasn't so nice".

Olivia could only nod, unsure of what to say. She was making progress and didn't want to scare the girl off.

" I don't know what to do". Nora stood up, almost tripping over the length of Olivia's coat. "I want to talk to you but Mom said not to talk to the police". The girl was on the verge of tears as she spoke.

"Nora honey I promise you that if you talk to me that we can make things better".

"But my mom will get in trouble". In that moment it was hard to remember that this girl was only in first grade. "That's what she said. She'll go to jail".

Just then, they could hear what sounded like multiple people coming down the steps. Nora shrugged off the coat and ripped off the hat, tossing them to Olivia. "You have to go" She whispered. "Please".

Olivia pulled a business card out of her pocket, handing it to Nora. "Fine, but take this. Call me. Anytime. '' She jogged away and rounded the corner just as the door opened. She watched as a man came out the door first, followed by a woman in a robe.

"Mommy" She heard Nora say. She opened her arms for a hug, but instead the woman turned around and took the ribbon off the door, walking back inside without another word. Nora picked up her book bag and shoved Olivia's business card in it before following her mother inside.

* * *

When Olivia got home, she found Peter and Noah in the living room surrounded by all of Noah's toys. Peter was packing things in boxes and Noah was "helping", meaning that he was playing with toys he had long forgotten about.

"Hey guys" Olivia greeted as she tossed her purse down on the couch, joining them on the floor. "Working hard I see" She joked to Noah.

"Look at all these toys we found in the back of my closet!"

"We" Peter mouthed to her, making her laugh.

"Are you excited for the move?" Olivia asked her son, even though she already knew the answer. Noah had been pumped ever since they told him that he would be staying at the same school. It wasn't an easy decision to make, but she knew that he would be happier at his school. He had made a lot of adjustments in a short amount of time and she wanted to make things as easy for him as possible.

"All of friends want to come over the new house and see my room".

Olivia chuckled, running her fingers through her son's curls. "We'll have to have a housewarming party".

"And we'll be able to have my birthday party in the backyard this year" Noah added. It wasn't a very big yard, but it was more than either of them had ever had. "Can we get a dog?"

Olivia looked at Peter, who was looking right back at her. "You'll have to talk to Peter about that". She scooted closer to Peter so she could kiss him.

"You know that I love you, right Benson?"

She nodded as she leaned into him. "I love you too".

* * *

"All that's left is Noah's clothes and then we are officially done packing" Peter said as he pulled up the covers and climbed into bed.

"I'm sorry I haven't been much help" Olivia said as she rubbed lotion on her legs.

"How'd today go?" He asked, referring to her conversation with Nora.

"Well" Olivia started as she climbed into bed, leaving her lamp on. "I found her sitting outside, which apparently isn't uncommon. Her mom had a friend over" she emphasized with air quotes, "so she wasn't allowed in".

"Are you thinking prostitution?"

Olivia nodded. "I saw a man walk out afterwards and she was only wearing a robe so I think it's safe to assume. But she let her child sit outside in the freezing cold without a jacket...Nora was so close to telling me today, but she doesn't want her mom to go to jail".

"I know that the situation isn't the exact same, but did you ever say anything about your mom? Was there ever a teacher that you really trusted?" He asked.

Olivia shook her head. "I didn't know there was a way out".

"You have to remember that she's only six".

"I know" Olivia insisted. "She's starting to trust me, and that's the important part.''


	4. Chapter 4

**I know that this story is so corny, and I apologize for that, but I LOVE writing the corny stuff sometimes.I also know that this isn't how any of this would happen in real life, but that's why it's fiction! Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Three Days Later**

Olivia and Peter had both requested the day off weeks ago, knowing that they'd need as much time as they could get for moving. The goal was to move all the furniture while Noah was in school so that he wasn't running around while they carried heavy stuff. They rented a truck and everything. This was an exciting time for them, and Olivia couldn't believe that it was actually happening.

"So how was Nora yesterday?" Peter asked as he drove. They hadn't had a chance to talk about it because she caught a case and had to go back in to work last night.

"Well last night she told me all about her dad. It was a lot of information that I already knew, but you can tell that she thought the world of him…"

"So she's opening up more?"

Olivia nodded. "She wants to tell me what's going on, she really does, but she's just not there yet".

"I'm sure she'll come around" He said as he parked in front of their house. "It's showtime".

* * *

Olivia and Peter stood in the courtyard hand-in-hand, patiently waiting for Noah to come out. She tried to stop herself from looking for Nora, but she spotted her anyway. The young girl paused for a moment, looking over at the couple. Much to their surprise, the girl made a beeline towards them.

"Hi Olivia" She said shyly, refusing to make eye contact. "Who are you?" She asked, looking up at Peter.

"I'm Peter. I'm Olivia's friend".

"You look like more than friends to me" She mused, making them smile.

"I'm her boyfriend. Do you need a jacket sweetie?" He asked, holding out the extra one they had brought with them just in case. It was an old one of Noah's that was just a little too small for him, but the perfect size for Nora. She nodded, putting down her book bag so that she could put on the jacket.

"I uh...I was wondering if I could talk to you Olivia" Nora said, and for a brief moment Olivia felt hopeful.

"Absolutely" She said, grabbing the young girl's hand. "Do you mind?" She asked Peter, who insisted that she go.

"I don't want to go to my house" She said when Olivia tried to go towards her house. "I need to show you something".

"There's a coffeeshop half a block from here" Olivia told her, leading the way.

* * *

Olivia ordered herself a latte and a hot chocolate for Nora, knowing that they wouldn't give her the bathroom key unless they bought something. "Thank you so much" Olivia said, grabbing the key from the barista. "Just one minute sweetie" She promised Nora, who was starting to get nervous. Once they were in and the door was closed and locked, Nora took off her backpack and coat, handing them to Olivia.

"Last night, mommy had another friend come over, but I was already inside. It was so cold out so I asked her if I could please stay inside" She lifted her dress, showing Olivia all of the new marks on her body. It looked like she had used a belt.

"Nora did your mom hit you?"

The girl nodded through the tears. "She used her friend's belt and then pushed me down the stairs. It hurt so bad".

Olivia dropped to her knees, coaxing the girl to let her dress drop as she hugged her tightly. Nora melted in her arms as the sobs took over her body. "I just wanted to be warm!"

"It's okay, sweetheart. I promise, everything is going to be okay".

* * *

It was nearing ten o'clock at night when Peter saw Olivia's car pull up. He had been putting boxes in the appropriate room for the last hour, killing time until she got home. Even though Olivia was called away, he managed to get a decent amount done on his own. Thankfully they got all of the furniture moved in the morning because he was able to set up the beds and put together the entertainment center that Olivia insisted they buy. Now they only had to unpack all of the boxes, figure out where to put everything, and try to get it all done in a matter of days.

Easy, right?

"Peter?" Olivia called from the bottom of the steps. He smiled and made his way downstairs, freezing on the last step. "Well hello there" He said as he took the last step.

"Hi" Nora said timidly.

"I know, we have a lot to talk about, but I think we should get her ready for bed first. Did you put the shower stuff in the bathroom?"

All he could do was nod.

"Thank you". She lead Nora up the stairs, stopping when Peter called her name.

"Towels are in the box labeled bathroom in the hallway".

Peter sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for Olivia to come in and talk. He had so many questions and he knew that she would be more than willing to answer them.

"Sorry I took so long. I had to find the extra blankets and pillows" She said as she climbed onto the bed so that she was sitting across from him. "We have a lot to talk about" She sighed. "The place is really looking great-"

"Olivia" He interrupted her with an amused smile. "Please don't change the subject. What happened?"

"Well, last night Belinda used a belt on her for asking if she could stay inside while a 'friend' was over. Then she pushed her down the steps".

"And Nora told you this?" He asked, shocked.

"She showed me the marks. They're bad Peter. You can tell she's in pain. So Fin went and arrested the mother. The weird thing is that she didn't even try to deny it. She sat there and tried to justify her actions to Fin and Amanda, as if they were going to agree with her. Then she went into this whole big thing about how she never wanted to be a mother. That it was all her husband's fault and she'd get rid of her right now if she could".

Peter shook his head in disbelief. "So you…?"

"Called CPS and DFS, but I knew that they were going to take her to one of the shelters until Monday at the very least so I called Judge Linden".

"The one that put Noah in your care" He said filling in the blanks. "You asked if you could…"

Olivia nodded. "Exactly. The reason everything took so long is because we got talking about things" She vaguely said.

"Talking about what?"

"I know this is all happening very fast and I'm only bringing it up now so that you have plenty of time to think about it" She insisted "We were talking about what we could do if the mother was serious about terminating her parental rights. The process would go so much smoother if there was someone already lined up to adopt her. I know that we've talked about adopting another child in the future, but I understand if this is all too much".

Peter didn't react right away, but after a few moments he smiled and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer until she was straddling his lap. "This absolutely insane" He mumbled against her lips, kissing her deeply. "I'm one hundred percent behind you" He said as they pulled apart. "I have one stipulation".

"What's that?" Olivia asked.

"You have to explain to Noah that he's not getting a dog because _someone _had to bring home a child".

For the first time all day, Olivia laughed a full, hearty laugh.

"I love you Peter" She whispered into his ear, kissing her way down his neck. "You're incredibly sexy when you let me get my way". She purred as she tugged on his shirt, trying to get it off of him.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hello all! I went through and fixed the formatting in the previous chapters to make them a little easier to read. Hope you all enjoy and have a great day! **

Olivia woke up to the sound of screaming around five in the morning. She jumped out of bed and ran down the steps, knowing that the scream didn't belong to her son. She found Nora sitting up on the couch, clutching the throw pillow to her chest as she struggled to catch her breath. Olivia sat down next to the girl on the couch, wrapping her arms around her, resting her chin atop the girl's head as she cried into her chest. She rubbed her hand up and down Nora's side gently, trying to calm her down without putting too much pressure on her bruises.

"It's okay sweetie" Olivia whispered as she held her tight. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" She asked, not wanting to push her.

Nora shook her head. "It was just a bad dream" She managed to say between breaths. This was the most secretive six year old that she had ever met.

"Mommy?" Noah asked from the bottom of the stairs, rubbing his tired eyes. "Why is Nora here?"

Olivia patted the spot next to her on the couch, gesturing for Noah to come join them. Although he seemed apprehensive at first, he ultimately chose to sit down next to Olivia.

"It's kind of hard to explain, but Nora is going to be staying with us for a while" Olivia started, adjusting herself so that she could have an arm around each child. It was probably because he was barely awake, but Noah took that answer and didn't ask anymore questions. That was far easier than she had anticipated. It felt like the other shoe was about to drop though.

"My mom is going to jail for hurting me" Nora told him, breaking down into tears again.

There was that other shoe.

The strangest part was that no one had told Nora that her mother was arrested, she had figured that out all on her own. There was no way that this kid was only six years old. "Who told you that?" Olivia asked, just in case she missed something last night.

"No one. Why else would we have gone to the police station?"

Fair point.

"Well I'm sorry that your mom hurt you" Noah said. "Do you want to go play blocks with me?"

Oh to be a kid again.

Nora nodded, silently following Noah up to his room.

Olivia would be lying if she said that she wasn't proud of herself for how amazing Noah turned out. She didn't grow up with a mother that showed affection, or sympathy to others, but despite all of that,she managed to raise a kind, caring little boy. She couldn't take all of the credit though. A lot of it was in his nature, which she was sure came from Ellie.

"Good morning beautiful" Peter greeted as he came down the steps, walking over to her so he could kiss her on the cheek. "I saw the kids playing in Noah's room".

"Yeah. Nora woke up screaming from a bad dream, and I guess she woke Noah up too. He's never up this early".

"I guess he took the news ok?" He asked as he busied himself in the kitchen, searching the boxes for the coffee pot. "Can you give me a hand? Neither of us can function without caffeine".

After ten minutes of searching, Olivia found it in the box in the very bottom of the stack along with some of their mugs, filters, and the actual coffee. "Why don't we just go out for breakfast?" Olivia suggested, realizing that they only way they were going to get through all of the unpacking was with fuel.

"Sounds good, but we have a couple of problems," Peter said as he rummaged through one of the boxes.

"What's that?"

"We don't have clothes for Nora and we only have one car seat, and I don't know what exactly is in walking distance".

She thought about it for a moment. "Then we'll order takeout from that diner you guys got dinner from last night and then in a couple of hours I'll take Nora out for a mini girl's day, get her some clothes, maybe a haircut…"

"A bed" Peter added. "She can't sleep on the couch forever".

"Another carseat" She sighed. "If I thought one kid was expensive" Olivia groaned.

"We'll be okay" Peter reassured her. Both of them had always been good with their money, saving a decent amount for emergencies. Maybe this wasn't exactly an emergency, but it was certainly an unexpected expense. They had some wiggle room, but she still couldn't go crazy.

* * *

Olivia had dressed Nora in a plain blue t-shirt of Noah's and a pair of jeans that were way too big for her, but she didn't complain. "Put your jacket on sweetie" She told the girl as she put on her own, ready to go and get things done.

* * *

Nora held Olivia's hand tightly as they walked in to the salon, hiding behind her legs as she spoke to the woman at the desk.

"Are you okay?" Olivia asked as she took a seat in one of the chairs, sitting the girl on her lap.

"I've never had a haircut before" Nora said. "My mom cut my hair before, but that was right before we moved because she was mad at me".

"Because she was mad at you?"

Nora nodded. "I accidentally spilled my milk, so she cut off my ponytail".

"Well I promise you that no one is mad at you. I just thought you could use a treat". That and the fact that her hair was very uneven made her feel bad for the girl. The longest section touched her collarbone, but the shortest part ended at her shoulder. "Then when we're done here we're going to go get you some clothes".

That made Nora smile the biggest smile she had seen from the girl yet. "Do I get to pick them out?"

"Of course".

"Can I get a new dress?"

"You can get all the dresses you want".

When they first started shopping, Nora was tentative to say the least. She had picked up a total of three things in twenty minutes, two of them being socks and underwear.

"Do you not like any of the clothes sweetie?" Olivia asked as she searched through the racks. "I think a lot of these dresses are pretty". She took one off the rack, holding it up for Nora to examine.

"There's a lot that I like, but I don't want to ask for too much". This kid had been conditioned to not want a single thing.

"You aren't asking, I'm telling you that if there is something that you like and will wear, put it in the cart. You have to have clothes for school, no ifs ands or buts about it. Okay?" She never expected to have to discipline a kid into asking for things, but here she was.

"Okay".

* * *

A few hours later, they returned to the house with several shopping bags in hand. Nora was grinning ear to ear, showing off her new pink coat and shoulder-length hair to Peter. "Do you like my hair?" She asked him as she twirled a strand.

"You look beautiful" Peter told her. "I really like that coat. It looks nice and warm".

"It is! You should see all of the clothes I got".

"I may have gotten a bit carried away" Olivia admitted as she set down the bags. "We got a twin mattress and platform frame, and Noah, I got you something" She said, digging through the bag, handing him a small box of legos. "I know you've wanted this set for a while" She said when he screamed in excitement. She didn't want him to feel left out, so she made sure to pick him up a little something.

"Thanks Mommy".

"Thank you Olivia" Nora said with a big smile. "Thank you Peter".

* * *

Despite the sidetrack from their morning shopping trip, Olivia managed to get a lot done throughout the day. Everyone's clothes were properly put away, and most of the kitchen boxes had been unpacked and put away. She even hung up a few pictures in the living room. Now that it was nearing eight o'clock, she decided to call it a day. Peter was finishing up Nora's bed, which was officially the last piece of furniture that needed to be assembled.

"Noah" Olivia called up the stairs. "Shower".

He knew the deal. Their night routine was simple; shower, teeth, potty, then bed. Olivia would read him a book and then he'd be out like a light.

"When he's done it's your turn little lady" She said to Nora, who was sitting on the couch, reading through one of Noah's old books. She had been sitting on the couch flipping through different books ever since Olivia found the box of them. Earlier, Olivia asked her if she had a favorite book, to which the girl simply answered, all of them.

"I put your toothbrush in the cup on the counter, please brush your teeth after your shower". Without looking up from her book, she gave Olivia a thumbs up, making her laugh.

* * *

Olivia knocked on the frame of Noah's door, letting him know that she was coming in. "Hey sweet boy" she said as she sat on the edge of his bed, running her fingers through his curls. "I wanted to ask you, how do you feel about Nora being here?"

He shrugged. "I'm okay. She's actually really nice when she talks. I don't understand why her mommy would hurt her".

"Sweet heart, Nora's mommy hurt her because she has...problems. Nora didn't do anything wrong" Olivia tried to explain gently. How do you explain something so complex to a sleepy six year old? "Did you pick out a book?" She saw one on his end table so she grabbed it and help it up, silently asking if that's the one he wanted.

He nodded, pulling his blanket up so that it was tucked under his chin.

She opened the book and read it to him, smiling when he fell asleep only a few pages in. She closed the book and set it down on his end table, kissing him goodnight before making her way down the hall into Nora's room.

She stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame while she took in the scene before her. Peter sat on Nora's bed with his legs stretched out and his back resting against the wall. Nora was snuggled into his side, listening intently as he read. Her smile was small, but genuine, warming Olivia's heart. Just from talking to the girl Olivia could tell that she was a daddy's girl, and she had a feeling that she would take to Peter quickly. It was nice to see the two of them bonding. Nora loved to read, but it seemed that she enjoyed being read to just as much.

"How true! Yes, how true, said the big kangaroo. And, from now on, you know what I'm planning to do? From now on, I'm going to protect them with you! And the young kangaroo in her pouch said...ME,TOO! From sun in the summer. From rain when it's fall-ish, I'm going to protect them. No matter how small-ish!" Peter read, changing his voice for each character. Olivia couldn't help thinking about how appropriate the book choice was for their current situation.

"Thank you for reading to me Peter" Nora mumbled, already half-asleep.

"The pleasure is mine" He told her as he swung his legs over the side of the bed, grunting as he stood up. Olivia took that as her queue to fully enter, standing next to Peter. He looked at her expectantly, waiting to see where to go from there. Once they were done reading to Noah, they'd both give him a kiss and tuck him in, but this was uncharted territory. They didn't want to overwhelm the girl, but they didn't want her to feel left out. Olivia decided to just go for it. She bent over and kissed Nora's forehead, wishing her a goodnight. Peter followed her lead and copied her motions.

"We're right down the hall if you need us" He reminded her before turning off the lamp on her end table.


End file.
